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Great Auk - During the 16th and 17th century, great auks were numerous off New England and Newfoundland. Their range extended to waters off Greenland, Iceland, and Europe. They could not fly, and this made them vulnerable to fishermen and sailors who easily killed them for food or bait. The only known nesting colonies off North America were at Funk Island, (Funk Island colony was last recorded in 1785) a small rocky outcropping east of Newfoundland, and Bird Rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On June 3, 1844, at Eldey Rock off Iceland, the last known pair in the world were seen and shot.

Passenger Pigeon - These birds were so abundant that they comprised more than a quarter of the US bird population. They were used for food, and were very popular in restaurants. The last major pigeon nestings occurred near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in 1881 and in Wisconsin in 1882. The last Passenger Pigeon died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker - These birds lived in the wet bottomlands of the virgin forest, habitat much like that of the Carolina parakeet. The beetles and grubs that infested dead and dying trees were their principle foods. When the forests disappeared, so did the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Labrador Duck - Only 54 museum specimens of this bird exist. Not much is known about the Labrador Duck. It is reported that it was hunted for market between 1840 and 1860. This may have contributed to its extinction.

Carolina Parakeet - Cypress swamps and other wet, wooded bottomlands were home to the Carolina parakeet. It roosted inside large, hollow trees and fed on the seeds of the different forest trees and shrubs. This bird quickly disappeared wherever settlers encroached. They were hunted for their plumage and captured to sell as cage birds. They were said to become tame in 2 days. The last known bird died in 1914 in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Heath Hen - Now considered a race of the greater prairie chicken, the "heath hen" lived on dry coastal plains. It foraged widely on berries, seeds, nuts and insects. As early as 1791, the danger of overhunting was recognized. Over the years, different laws were enacted to protect this bird, but by 1932, they were gone.

Bachman's Warbler - It is not certain that Bachman's Warbler is extinct, but it is probable. Continuing into the 1900's, nests were discovered, but the clearing of the bottomland forest reduced the bird's habitat, and the population seriously diminished by the 1930's, never to recover. The last specimen was taken in 1949 in Mississippi. Sightings of varying reliability extend into the 1980's, with photographs of a male taken near Charleston, SC, in 1958. An extensive search in the late 1970's did not reveal any birds.Hide